Iran: Medical Shortages Have Killed At Least 170 Spinal Cord Patients
According to a report by the Iranian regime’s Etemad newspaper, citing officials from the Iran Spinal Cord Injury Support Center, “Over the past two years, amid rising prices, at least 170 individuals with spinal cord injuries have lost their lives due to pressure ulcers and infections resulting from the lack of hygiene supplies.”
On August 15 the newspaper quoted Mahnaz Kazemi, one of the directors of the Iran Spinal Cord Injury Support Center, as saying, “The situation of individuals with spinal cord injuries, especially after multiple price hikes in the country, is dire.”
Kazemi referred to the statistics of the database of the Iran Spinal Cord Injury Support Center and stated that the center has learned about the deaths of these individuals from the families of those with spinal cord injuries.
Having suffered a spinal cord injury herself four decades ago, Kazemi told Etemad that “the cost of hygiene and medical supplies is skyrocketing, and even a sterile gauze costs 20,000 to 30,000 rials (approximately $0.4 to 0.6),” while these items are even more vital for individuals with spinal cord injuries than food.
“According to our database, between 170 to 200 beneficiaries with spinal cord injuries, most of whom were young and aged 22 to 35, have died in these two years, and the main cause of their deaths has been pressure ulcers and infections resulting from the lack of hygiene supplies,” Kazemi added.
According to Kazemi, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the deaths of some individuals with spinal cord injuries were attributed to COVID-19, but “most of these deaths were not due to COVID-19, and the cause was pressure ulcers and infections that affected the entire bodies of these people.”
She added, “In these two years, we have lost clients who we never thought we would, as they were like our friends. Suddenly, a family calls us in tears and says that these pressure ulcers have finally defeated our daughter or son. It is a shock to both us and other clients, and they become hopeless due to the conditions they are facing.”
The Iran Spinal Cord Injury Support Center is a non-governmental organization established in 2006 and operates under the supervision of State Welfare Organization of Iran. The center, whose directors are often individuals with spinal cord injuries themselves, currently has 2,100 disabled individuals in Tehran province and 700 beneficiaries from other provinces as its members.
In her interview with Etemad, Mahnaz Kazemi also mentioned numerous cases of suicide among individuals with spinal cord injuries due to the lack of appropriate counseling services provided to them.
However, she stated that the center “does not have statistical data on suicide because they are often not reported to us,” and even the deaths of some beneficiaries are only reported to them by families after one year.
Low Wages and Inflation Have Made Fake Jobs and Migration Attractive
Mahmoud Karimi Beyranvand, the acting deputy of employment and entrepreneurship of Iran’s Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, has reported a new problem for employers, stating that employers’ concerns about the shortage of resources and capital in circulation have reached the point of securing labor force, and in some provinces of the country, “workers cannot be found.”
These statements by Beyranvand come at a time when there has been no particular development in job creation, and experts attribute the reason for this to the lack of attractiveness of official wages for workers.
On July 23, Hadi Abouyee, the Secretary-General of the Trade Union Associations of Workers stated that nowadays workers are looking for ideal jobs in terms of income and “are not willing to engage in activities under specific regulations.”
Abouyee emphasized that factory production lines need workers, but they cannot be found. Abouyee stated that the reality of society is that the cost of a worker’s livelihood basket is approximately 150 to 160 million rials (equivalent to $320). Since workers can’t earn this amount from their normal jobs, they are forced to constantly look for a job with better income.
It is worth noting that the minimum monthly salary of wage earners in Iran is approximately 80 million rials, meaning a mere $155.
On April 29, Hamidreza Hajibabayi, the head of the Planning and Budget Commission of the Parliament, said, “I want to tell the people to bring your youth to the factories to work because there are job opportunities but no workers.”
The gap between wages and the cost of living has increased in recent years, leading workers to demand wage adjustments.
The lack of support from government and employers to adjust wages has caused some workers to seek fake jobs. Alongside this issue, the discussion of worker migration has also been raised in recent months, and this very issue has affected the motivation of “simple labor force” for working in Iran.
A representative of workers in the Supreme Labor Council said in this regard that “wage suppression” has caused some workers to migrate.
Ayat Asadi’s remarks indicate the widespread extent of low wages in Iran’s economy, which has resulted in the migration of workers.
Asadi emphasized that “wage suppression of workers” has caused some skilled workers to leave their jobs or engage in fake occupations, or some of them migrate to neighboring countries such as Iraq, Qatar, Oman, or even Afghanistan. Currently, employers are facing a shortage of skilled labor.
The head of Tabriz Chamber of Commerce also said that one of the causes of skilled labor migration to neighboring countries is seeking to earn wages in dollars.
Younes Zhaleh emphasized that the salary of skilled Iranian workers in neighboring countries such as Iraq and Pakistan is 1 billion rials (approximately $2,000).
According to Zhaleh, various sectors in Tabriz are in dire need of labor force, and to compensate for this shortage, they have turned to attracting women as low-wage workers.
Zhaleh announced that the main reason for the shortage of labor force and skilled labor in the province is the migration of these individuals to regional countries, including Iraq and Pakistan, to work and receive their wages in dollar.
Under the tyrannical rule of the mullahs, Iran’s workers are not only suffering from low wages, lack of job security and social and health insurance, but they’re also deprived of the most basic rights that every worker in the world should enjoy.
One of the most endemic problems of Iran’s labor force is unpaid wages. Iran’s workers are often deprived from receiving the meager salaries their employers have committed to pay them. This is a problem that has become exacerbated and Iranian workers often go months and even more than a year without receiving their salaries.
The managers of government-run companies, especially companies that have been “privatized,” which means handed over to private owners who are closely tied to Iranian regime officials, regularly refrain from paying the wages of Iranian workers under different pretexts.
The salaries of Iranian workers in government organizations and municipalities are being delayed while regime officials are receiving their stellar wages on time.
While regime officials continue to show a lack of will to respond to the demands of Iran’s labor force, Iran’s workers have proven that they have the will to continue to fight for their rights. And they’re becoming increasingly convinced that things will only change when the mullahs’ regime is overthrown and replaced with a democratic government that cares for the people of Iran.
More Than 260 Cities In Iran Are In Water Stress
The spokesperson for the Iranian regime water industry stated that currently “269 cities” in the country are facing water stress.
In a meeting on the country’s water industry held on August 14, Hashem Amini, in response to a question from the regime’s ILNA news agency regarding cities experiencing water stress, said that the Doosti Dam in Mashhad is in a critical condition and the Nahand Dam in Tabriz has also been lost.
“The groundwater in the city of Zanjan and Tabas, as well as the “Chahnimeh” wells in Sistan and Baluchestan province, are also at risk”, Amini added.
“Chahnimeh” or “half well” refers to four large natural reservoirs in Sistan and Baluchestan province, which are fed by the surplus water of the Hirmand River through a canal.
While the spokesperson for the water industry states that these water supply sources in Sistan and Baluchestan are only in “jeopardy,” Iranian media have reported their drying up in the past two years.
Despite this, the spokesperson for the water industry mentioning “new water supply projects” in various parts of the country stated, “We do not have a severe water shortage.”
In October 2021 the state-run Mehr News Agency reported that one of the Chahnimeh wells had completely dried up and the volume of water in the other three wells had drastically decreased, stating, “Due to repeated droughts and the failure to provide the water ration of Hamun Lake, the situation of these wells is critical.”
On the other hand, other regions of Iran have also faced water scarcity with the onset of the hot season.
On July 14 the regime’s Jamaran website reported that the Malashie region in western Ahvaz, with a population of 80,000, has been without piped water for over “30 days,” and some villages in the Gheyzaniyeh district, 50 kilometers away from this city, are facing water shortage.
The CEO of Qeshm Free Zone: People here have no water
Meanwhile, the CEO of Qeshm Free Zone, expressing the “tragic” water situation on this island, stated that “people here have no water.”
In a press conference on Tuesday, Adel Peyghami, emphasized that the regime’s authorities have asked him not to report a dire picture of the water situation in Qeshm, stating: “People are suffering. We are in an extremely critical situation.”
The CEO of Qeshm Free Zone pointed out that the water issue has been neglected for years, and the necessary investments have not been made, stating: “The house I live in one of the villages in Qeshm only receives water supply once every 60 days.”
Peyghami continued by saying that he has written a letter every month to the regime’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, on this matter, adding: “The Ministry of Energy must answer why they don’t allocate a budget to purchase water.”
Although drought is considered one of the factors contributing to the water stress in Iran, the share of inefficient management in this crisis is also significant.
For example, for years, the regime’s officials have been reporting a 25 percent loss of drinking water in the worn-out water grid, but no action has been taken to solve this problem.
While one-fourth of the country’s purified water is wasted, according to the assessment of the Research Center of the regime’s Majlis (parliament), more than half of Iran’s population is facing water stress.
Despite the constant criticism of the officials regarding “reckless waste” of water in the country, the consumption of drinking water by citizens, without accounting for losses in the outdated transmission and distribution network, is 6.4 billion liters per year, which is exactly equivalent to the domestic water consumption of Germany with a similar population to Iran.
The prospect of a rebellious million-strong population of the capital, suffering from water shortages, terrifies the clerical regime more than anything else. In recent months, several instances of water outage in Tehran sparked widespread anger and demonstrations, with thousands of people taking to the streets.
The devastating consequences of the regime’s mismanagement and negligence have led to a catastrophic depletion of water resources. The people of Iran, fully aware of the impending danger, are determined to resist and fight for their fundamental right to water, clean air, equality and basic human rights.
Majlis Research’s Center: 60% of Iran’s Population Has Lost Access to Housing
In its newest report, the Iranian regime’s Majlis (Parliament) Research’s Center described the increase in exit rates from the housing market and indicated that households in the first to third deciles absolutely, third to fifth deciles and even some in the sixth decile are unable to secure the necessary housing for their habitation.
In its report titled “Analysis of Housing Policies in Five-Year Development Plans,” the center emphasizes that repeated leaps in housing prices in the late 2010s have doubled the number of households that are unable to purchase a home in comparison to the beginning of the decade.
According to the Research Center, four decades of housing planning by different administrations have not been desirable for low-income groups, particularly in major cities, where the decisions have been inefficient and disadvantageous.
The conducted studies have shown that the groups benefiting from housing policies have mainly been households in the first to third income deciles. Vulnerable groups such as single-parent families and individuals with special needs have not benefited from these policies.
The report indicates that four decades of housing policy have ultimately made it more difficult for households to access housing. As a result, affordable housing production has significantly decreased, and according to the research center, the waiting time to become a homeowner has reached nearly 50 years.
On June 8, the Majlis Research Center also reported a housing crisis and a “950 percent” increase in prices in Tehran over the past five years.
During his election campaign, regime president Ebrahim Raisi promised to build one million homes per year. However, an analysis of the housing market and review of reports show that not only were no homes delivered in the past two years, but prices have also doubled. As a result, the price per square meter in Tehran has reached 700 million rials (approximately $1,400).
In July, Iran Construction Engineering Organization (IRCEO) announced that the construction cost of seven building groups in 2023 has increased by 38 to 48 percent compared to the previous year, doubling compared to 2021.
On August 7, the regime’s Tajarat News website discussed the performance of Ebrahim Raisi’s government in the housing sector, stating that housing prices have increased by 109 percent in the past two years, exceeding 650 million rials per square meter.
In May, the Donya-ye Eqtesad newspaper reported that the population affected by “housing poverty” in Iran has reached a “significant record,” with 55 percent of Iranian households deprived of “affordable and accessible” housing.
This report highlights the worsening access to housing for people despite more than four decades of policy-making in this area, where the number of constructed homes has surpassed the number of households. However, due to the lack of effective policies, a significant portion of the constructed units has become part of the inventory of vacant or second homes or has been used for speculative activities in this sector.
This government not only abolished the housing privilege of 60% of the people of Iran, but from December 2022, it has been preventing the news and statistics from being reported by official sources and authorities.
On July 31, Hammihan website wrote, “The Central Bank and Statistics Center of Iran have stopped the publication of statistics related to the housing sector since December of last year.”
Hammihan quoted an expert who confirmed that the regime builds homes in other countries, but in Iran due to the lack of housing, millions of people live in slums. The mullahs’ regime has monopolized all facilities closed the way for others to build housing. According to this expert, “The government starts construction in neighboring countries, but it cannot do this in Iran. The government should remove the obstacles from the path of builders and provide the necessary financial tools.”
Iran’s Regime Has Spent $50bn In Syria, Leaked Documents Show
A leaked “confidential” document from the Iranian regime Presidential Institution reveals that Tehran has spent an estimated $50 billion on supporting the Assad regime during the Syrian war. Only the repayment of approximately $18 billion has been determined, not in cash, but in the form of projects and plans that lack both technical and economic justification and executive guarantees.
Reports emerged on May 29 revealing that the Iranian presidency’s website and internal servers were targeted by a group of Iranian dissidents codenamed “GhyamSarnegouni” (meaning “Rise to Overthrow” in Farsi).
Confidential documents released earlier by the group indicated that the Iranian regime’s budget spent during the ten-year Syrian war goes beyond $50 billion. Now, this group has released another document indicating that the Iranian regime is having a hard time reclaiming its debts from the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
The new document is a report titled “Determining the Fate of Iran’s Investments in Syria and Repayment of Debts,” prepared by the Deputy for Economic and Infrastructure Coordination and Monitoring of the Vice President in February. Its examination shows no certainty regarding the implementation of certain defined projects.
According to this document, Tehran’s claims against Damascus are divided into two categories: military and non-military claims.
In the non-military claims section, it is stated that the Iranian regime, in addition to oil exports to Syria, has also provided cash to the government of Bashar al-Assad during the ten years of the Syrian war.
The report specifies that as a result of a document signed by the Syrian Minister of Economy and Trade and the former Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development (Rostam Qassemi) in October 2022, it is planned that approximately $18 billions of non-military debts of Syria to Iran will be repaid over a 50-year timeline, according to a schedule.
- Out of the eight projects listed in this “confidential” report from the Iranian regime’s presidency, the timing of three projects is not specified, and two projects are still uncertain. For the other four projects, Iran is expected to spend $947 million to collect its dues from the Syrian government after 50 years.
- For example, the list includes a phosphate mine with a capacity of 1.05 billion tons, which was agreed upon in 2015.
- Iran needs 530,000 tons of phosphate rock annually in the agricultural sector, some of which is supplied through imports. According to the agreement, Iran is supposed to receive part of its dues over 50 years by investing $125 million in this mine, which will be completed over a period of three years.
- Apparently, this contract was implemented in 2018, and by the end of February, 2.05 million tons of phosphate have been extracted from this mine.
- Another “definite” contract is related to Block 21 oil field with a reserve of 100 million barrels of oil in the city of Homs. Iran is supposed to invest $300 million over a 30-year contract starting from 2020 to receive $3.4 billion of its debts from Syria over 30 years.
- Another definite contract is Block 12 in Bukamal, which is a 30-year contract with the Syrian government. According to this report, no action has been taken regarding this contract yet, but it is predicted that with a $300 million investment over five years, it will bring a total income of $3 billion to Iran over 30 years.
- The other project is the launch and operation of the third mobile operator in Syria, a project for which the execution time is not even specified. It is only announced that Iran is supposed to spend $222 million to launch the third mobile operator in Syria so that this project can be operational after three years. On paper, the duration of Iran’s operation in this project is stated as 20 years, and a projected revenue of $1.5 billion is also announced.
- The fifth listed project is the “payment of a five-year share of Lattakia Port’s revenue.” According to this document and the agreement reached with the Syrian government, Iran’s share has been received in 2019 and 2020, and apparently, the process of these payments should continue for 20 years.
- The sixth project is related to the port of Hamidieh, the fate of which is not specified, and it is only mentioned in this report that the project is under negotiation.
- “Five thousand hectares of agricultural land” is the title of the seventh project agreed upon by the governments of Iran and Syria. The report states that the draft contract for this project has not yet been signed. This project apparently intends to repay $25 million of Syria’s debt to Iran over 25 years.
- Finally, the seventh project is called “Zahed Livestock Farm.” The start date of the operation of this project is unknown; however, it is stated that through this project, $7 millions of Iran’s claims from Syria will be repaid over a period of 25 years.
Risky and ambiguous negotiations
In the continuation of the analysis of this document, there are other interesting points. According to the report from the Deputy for Economic Coordination and Supervision of the Office of the Vice President, these projects have been selected from a list of 130 projects presented by the Syrian government, and the other projects are currently under review and site visits. However, the report emphasizes that these “main projects” are the ones mentioned, indicating that despite Iran’s $50 billion expenditure in support of Bashar al-Assad during the 10-year war in Syria, only a few secondary projects have been allocated to Iran. Moreover, these projects require significant investment and time for their operation, and according to the same confidential report, they do not have significant capacity for the reimbursement of Iran’s claims. The most important point in this report is the uncertainty regarding the guarantee status for these projects. The report explicitly states that the Syrian government’s guarantees are not valid and approved, and Syrian banks do not have the ability to issue guarantees. According to this document, Iranian banks also cannot provide guarantees to private sector for their activities in Syria due to the lack of banking relations and the high risk associated with guarantees issued by the Syrian side. This means that the risk for private sector activities in Syria, to which promises of investment were made, is high, and only the government and the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters can accept such project risks. This document also states that the “Khatam-al Anbiya central Headquarters,” the economic arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is expected to pursue the receipt of economic claims from Syria.Unquantifiable Military Claims
Part two of Iran’s demands from Syria in the “confidential” report from the Vice President’s office pertains to military claims. The report explicitly states that there is no information available regarding the specific amount of Syria’s military debts to Iran. The report emphasizes that military claims, in addition to being subject to significant considerations on the part of the Syrian government, have not yet been finalized by domestic entities, and there is no definitive figure to rely on. The report does not provide further explanation regarding the “considerations,” which could potentially involve disagreements between the two parties. Additionally, the responsibility for pursuing military claims has been assigned to the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. An examination of Iran’s budget laws over the past ten years reveals that a portion of the resources required for the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards’ military section has been defined under a category called “Noor Rabi” (Light of Spring) in the annual budgets. This budget category is only identifiable in the annual budgets of Iran between the years 2019 and 2021, while in the budgets preceding and following this period, it has been consolidated under other sections of the Revolutionary Guards’ budget. According to reports by the United Nations, during the first ten years of the Syrian civil war, in which the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards also participated, over 307,000 civilians were killed. This war also resulted in 12 million displaced individuals, leading to the destruction of cities and the economic foundations of the country. According to some reports, approximately 80 percent of the population of Syria fell below the poverty line. Nevertheless, Assad’s military performance did not yield the desired outcome for the Iranian regime. It is now evident that it will take 50 years for a portion of Iran’s $50 billion in public wealth, which could have been the foundation for Iran’s development, to be repatriated to the country. Furthermore, even this amount is not certain and is subject to the conditions and contingencies outlined in the same document. The presence of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards in the Syrian civil war and its support for Bashar al-Assad were carried out on the orders of the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, under the command of Qasem Soleimani.Iran: University Entrance Exam Controversy Continues
Some media outlets, including Fars and Tasnim, reported that the Supreme Administrative Court has issued a one-year “suspension from service” order for Abdul Rasool Pour Abbas, the head of the National Organization of Educational Testing.
It is said that Pour Abbas did not allow the suspicious candidates involved in the university entrance exam fraud case to return to university, and that is why this order has been issued against him.
Tasnim and Fars, both news agencies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and security agencies, wrote on August 9 that the Administrative Court has ordered the suspension from service of Abdul Rasool Pour Abbas, the head of the National Organization for Educational Testing.
These media outlets referred to the reason for the decision of the Administrative Court as the “non-implementation of the temporary return to study order for some suspicious candidates of the university entrance exam” and the “resistance of Pour Abbas against cheaters.”
This matter has not been confirmed or denied by relevant institutions, including the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology.
A few days ago, the issue of continued education for more than a thousand students accused of cheating in medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and several popular engineering and humanities disciplines caused controversy and elicited reactions from members of parliament and officials in the Ministry of Science.
According to Fars, the disciplinary and review boards handling the violations of the nationwide examination issued an order to “invalidate the results of the main university entrance exam” for some of the suspicious candidates of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 exams.
In response, these individuals filed complaints with the Assessment Organization, the Ministry of Science, and Majlis (Parliament).
Article 11 prevented cheaters from entering university, but according to a new provision, this article can be enforced only against “entrance exam candidates” and not university students. This means that the National Organization of Educational Testing must address the suspicions regarding them from the time of announcing the preliminary results of the entrance exam until their registration in the university.
Based on this, some of the same suspicious candidates who had previously received a verdict to invalidate their exam results filed a complaint again with the Administrative Court, which issued a temporary order for some of them to return to studying, allowing them to become “temporary students.”
However, the National Organization of Educational Testing, refusing to implement this order, prevented the entry of suspicious candidates into the university. According to Pour Abbas, these individuals have been expelled from the university and are no longer considered students, and in fact, “incorrect information” has been provided to the judge.
All of these arguments led Pour Abbas to refrain from implementing the Administrative Court’s order, and as a result, he received a one-year suspension from service.
Fars News Agency mentioned in its report the “rumors” surrounding this issue and wrote, “Some consider the connection between one of the exam cheaters and the judge [of the Administrative Court] as the reason for this verdict.”
Cheating in the university entrance exam and the mafia behind it have been a controversial issue in the Assessment Organization and the Ministry of Science for years and have involved regime officials.
Previously, Mohammad Reza Niknejad, a member of the Teachers’ Guild Association, had said that “conflict of interest” prevents the perpetrators of the university entrance exam cheating from being identified.
Amidst these circumstances, one must ask why, despite all the controversies and despite passing its own exam since 1969 when the first nationwide entrance exam was held in Iran, the university entrance exam has not only persisted but is now scheduled to be held twice a year.
Mohammad Bathaei, the former Minister of Education, had said in 2020 to the official Iran newspaper, “The university entrance exam has caused students to suffer psychological problems, but the exam mafia does not allow the removal of the exam.”
Bathaei also stated, “The exam mafia has more power and influence than the minister, so under these circumstances, we don’t want to abolish the exam. We can, but we don’t want to.”
Ali Abdolali, a university entrance exam expert and member of the faculty at the University of Science and Industry, stated that the financial turnover of the exam mafia is currently around 400 to 500 trillion rials (approximately $800 million to $1 billion) annually. This was also confirmed by a former government minister.
Only 2.5 percent of the top ranks in last year’s entrance exam came from public schools, so out of the top 40 exam candidates, only 2 had studied in a public or semi-public school.
Now, titles such as educational inequality, injustice, and discrimination in the public education sector have reached a point where the children of the underprivileged and even the middle class do not have equal opportunities for social and educational progress.
Iran’s Regime Using Germany-Made Surveillance Cameras
The Iranian regime uses surveillance cameras and facial recognition software to control and enforce its mandatory hijab rules. One of the suppliers of these cameras is the German company Bosch. However, Bosch denies the use of these devices for facial recognition.
Last June, an opposition group announced that they had hacked over 5,000 public surveillance cameras in the Tehran area. The hackers shared videos on social networks. The videos show that the software used in these cameras is registered to the Bosch company, which apparently is used to control the cameras for monitoring intersections and highways in Tehran.
According to a recent investigation published by Amnesty International, the regime is monitoring streets particularly to enforce mandatory hijab regulations. Iranian women have reported receiving text messages shortly after passing through an intersection or getting out of their cars. They are informed that “a camera has recorded them not properly wearing a headscarf.”
Mrs. Raha Bahraini a representative from Amnesty International stated in an interview with the German television program “Weltspiegel” that the authorities of the Iranian regime have equipped their surveillance system with facial recognition technologies. Women who are identified without a headscarf should expect legal consequences. She added that after receiving these text messages, many women are forced to hand over their cars for several weeks and often face travel bans and monetary fines.
Surveillance with European technology
Iranian dissidents have told reporters that cameras manufactured by companies in the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany are being used on Iranian streets. The network of CCTV cameras in Iran is very dense. A map of Tehran’s city center, prepared by activists and made available to this television network, shows that there is almost a camera in every corner of the streets. The cameras from the Chinese company “Tiandy” are the most common. According to these activists, cameras from the German company Bosch, which are used for traffic monitoring, have also been identified numerous times. Bosch confirms in response to a question from Germany’s ARD television channel that the model of the camera seen in the leaked videos was delivered to Iran between 2016 and 2018, with a total of 8,000 cameras. However, Bosch did not directly participate in the traffic monitoring project. Iranian opposition activists told ARD that with such tracking technology, the Iranian regime can determine whether people are gathering for protests or not. They say, “If more than five or ten people appear in the camera’s view at the same time, an alert is sent to the nearest police station, and then security forces appear. The regime is currently using this technology.”Bosch Technology Training at a University in Tehran
ARD has obtained a document outlining the holding of a Bosch Security training course and an Iranian representative of Bosch products at Khatam University in Tehran in 2017. The topics of these training courses included “facial recognition” and intelligent object tracking. According to this document, the instructor of this training course was a Bosch sales manager in the Middle East. Bosch also stated in its response that their cameras cannot be used for fully automatic facial recognition because the biometric facial recognition software is not pre-installed on the cameras. In its response, Bosch further states, “So far, none of Bosch’s employees have conducted facial recognition training at Khatam University.” However, the company points out that all photos or recorded videos from a camera can be analyzed live or afterwards using server-based facial recognition software. Iranian activists claim that such video analysis software has been sent to Iran by Milestone Systems, a Danish security company. In response to a question from ARD, this Danish company confirmed that software solutions were sold to the Iranian regime until 2019. This includes the XProtect video management software, which is an open platform that can be used for various purposes. The company’s website states that XProtect’s “tracking and monitoring functions not only assist investigations, but they also allow you to keep a virtual eye on objects and people.” The software from this Danish company can be combined with surveillance cameras from various manufacturers, including Bosch cameras.Bosch: Sanctions have not been violated
The Bosch company states in its response that it has not exerted any influence on how the cameras are used because it has never directly supplied its products to end users in Iran. Bosch says it has severed all its business ties with Iran since 2019 and has complied with export regulations regarding camera sales. However, Raha Bahreini, who is also an international human rights lawyer, believes that companies like Bosch have a responsibility: “Companies are obliged to exercise due diligence and ensure that the technologies they sell are not used to commit human rights violations.” According to the Tagesschau website belonging to Germany’s One TV channel, women in Iran continue to suffer from oppression and suppression, and there is a possibility that they may also be subjected to harassment and abuse with the help of smart technology. In the Iranian parliament, which is dominated by hardliners, there is currently a debate on a bill called the “Chastity and hijab” law, which includes severe punishments for non-compliance with mandatory hijab for women.The “Chastity and Veil” bill: Any citizen can take photos and videos
This legislation has brought surveillance and monitoring of unveiled women to the point where anyone has the right to take photos and videos of women who violate regulations and send them directly to authorities. These submitted documents can be used as evidence in court. This bill imposes severe punishment, such as “imprisonment of more than five to ten years” or “a fine of up to 360 million rials (approximately $720),” for those who defy mandatory hijab. It is worth noting that the minimum monthly salary of wage earners in Iran is approximately 80 million rials, meaning a mere $160. Among the provisions and clauses of this bill, there is an emphasis on “gender segregation” in universities, “hospital treatment departments,” educational and administrative centers, parks, and tourist sites. One of the strange provisions proposed in this bill is that municipalities and rural councils are required to allocate 10 percent of their “cultural advertising billboards to promoting the Islamic family-centered lifestyle and the culture of chastity and hijab.” This is happening while in the Iranian regime, 26 institutions are involved in the issue of hijab and controlling and overseeing the enforcement of mandatory hijab, and measures such as installing billboards have so far not achieved the desired results of the government.Iranian FM rejects sending drones to Ukraine despite undeniable evidence
In a press conference in Japan on August 7, Iranian regime Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian reiterated the previous statements of regime’s officials about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He claimed that NATO and NATO provocations were the main cause of the Ukraine war.
Amir Abdollahian claimed that the Iranian regime has taken “active measures at the highest level to stop the war and engage in negotiations” and emphasized that it will continue these efforts to “stop the war and focus on a political solution to end this crisis.”
Sending suicide drones to Russia
In response to a question about sending drones to Russia, Amir Abdollahian once again refuted the claim saying, “We have never provided Moscow with the capabilities to use Iranian drones or weapons in the Ukraine war.”
This claim is made while the published photos and videos of downed Russian drones in Ukraine confirm their Iranian origin.
With the revelation that the drones used by Russia in the war against Ukraine are of Iranian make, the regime initially denied the whole issue, but after a while, it confirmed the sale of drones to Russia but claimed that this sale took place before the Ukraine war.
On August 4, the US Defense Intelligence Agency unveiled the remains of Iranian-made drones downed in Ukraine in an exhibition. In the exhibit, the remains of the wings and engine of the downed Shahed-131 drones in Ukraine were compared to an intact drone of the same type obtained last year in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Hossein Amir Abdollahian continued his statements by claiming that last year, he personally asked the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to provide evidence of the downed Russian drones’ Iranian origin. He stated that a meeting between delegations from both countries was arranged to address this issue in Warsaw, Poland. However, according to Amir Abdollahian, the Ukrainian side did not show up at the meeting.
He also claimed that during the next meeting between Iranian and Ukrainian delegations, which took place in Muscat, Oman, no acceptable evidence was presented by Ukraine regarding the raised allegations. These statements again contradict the facts that have been previously reported.
English-language Amwaj Media reported in February about the meeting between Iranian and Ukrainian delegations in Oman in November 2022, quoting a high-ranking Iranian source as saying, “These negotiations were very preliminary, and the Ukrainians presented evidence of the use of Iranian-made drones in the war in Ukraine.” The source then explained, “Tehran accepted the evidence and stated that the equipment was sold much earlier than the time of the war.”
The Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister made these statements during his trip to Japan.
In April, after the two-day meeting, G7 foreign ministers issued a statement confirming their intention to ask the Iranian regime to halt its provision of military assistance to the Russian army in its aggressive war against Ukraine.
It has been reported that the Iranian regime also uses Chinese components in drone production.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Western researchers said they made an important discovery after examination a downed drone. One of drone’s components was made in China this year.
This shows that despite increasing pressure from the United States to close global supply chain routes, China has continued to send manufacturing components for its unmanned aircraft program to Iran.
This research also shows how quickly Iran can assist Russia in the war against Ukraine and that it only needs three months to build the requested equipment for Moscow. It also refutes the claims by the regime that it had provided drones to Moscow prior to the beginning of its invasion of Ukraine.
The Chinese component was manufactured in January, sent to Iran, installed, and then sent to Russia, where it was used against Ukraine in April.
The Chinese component discovered in 2023 by this research group was part of the navigation system of the highly destructive V-shaped drone known as Shahed-136.
Money Printing Soared by 83%, Liquidity 73% during Raisi’s Tenure
Abdul Nasser Hemmati, the former governor of the Iranian regime’s Central Bank, stated that according to official statistics, during the initial two years of the regime’s President Ebrahim Raisi‘s tenure, money printing increased by 83 percent and liquidity grew by 73 percent.
On Friday, August 13, Hemmati tweeted, “In the [presidential] debate [of 2021], you mentioned that neutralizing sanctions requires a powerful government. I have presented growth statistics to validate your statement.”
He further stated that during Raisi’s two-year presidency, the exchange rate of the dollar to the Iranian rial increased by 95 percent, the price of gold coins experienced a growth of 192 percent, and the price index surged by 114 percent.
Ebrahim Raisi claimed during his election campaigns and debates that by stopping the growth of government debt and the printing of unsupported banknotes, he would control inflation and stabilize the value of the rial.
The Central Bank has halted the publication of many economic statistics in recent months and has only reported that liquidity grew by 29 percent compared to the same period last year in Khordad (May-June) of this year.
Liquidity is the most important factor in inflation, which itself is a result of increasing government debt and the resulting pressure on the central bank to print unrestrained banknotes. Printing unsupported banknotes is also the most important factor in increasing liquidity, and this cycle has been in motion at a rapid pace in recent years.
The Central Bank of Iran did not mention the volume of liquidity in its latest report. However based on the announced 29 percent growth and the liquidity of May-June last year, which was 51,000 trillion rials, the volume of liquidity in May-June of this year has exceeded 65,000 trillion rials.
This figure was less than 40,000 trillion rials at the beginning of Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency.
Statistics from specialized currency websites also indicate that since Raisi’s presidential inauguration, the value of the Iranian rial has decreased by less than half, and the exchange rate has peaked from 220,000 rials to over 500,000 rials.
The “worse” state of Iran’s economy during the Hemmati era
Although Iran’s economic situation has been severely critical during Ebrahim Raeisi’s era, the country’s economic and financial indicators during Hemmati’s tenure as the governor of the Central Bank in previous government, led by Hassan Rouhani, were even worse than the past two years. Hemmati was the governor of the Central Bank of Iran from August 2018 to June 2021, a period in which the exchange rate reached its peak from less than 70,000 to 220,000 rials, meaning that the Iranian rial lost two-thirds of its value. Additionally, during this period, liquidity reached nearly 40,000 trillion rials from 16,460 trillion rials. Various regime’s authorities, from different spectrums, have always taken power over the past four decades with promises of improving the economic situation. However, during this period, the country’s economic indicators have consistently been on the decline. Meanwhile, Iranian citizens have lost many of their cultural, social, and individual freedoms. According to World Bank statistics, Iran’s share of the global economy has decreased from 1 percent at the beginning of the 1979 revolution to less than four-tenths of a percent in the past year.Environmental Destruction and Forced Migration in Iran Are Reaching Alarming Levels
Rising temperatures, drying rivers and lakes, and unprecedented drought have become the norm in Iran, leading to widespread dust storms that engulf vast areas of the country.
The escalating desertification process in Iran has reached a point where Iranian authorities warned last month that over one million hectares of land, roughly equivalent to the size of Qom Province or the country of Lebanon, will become uninhabitable annually.
This situation has put the Iranian government in trouble in controlling the situation in a country where 90 percent of its land is either dry or semi-dry, and conditions are heading towards a critical crisis and forced migrations.
Warning signs, especially in recent months, are soaring. In late July, the temperature in southwestern Iran reached a staggering 66.7 degrees Celsius, which is higher than the human tolerance level for survival.
Iranian scientists have warned that the water level of Lake Urmia, which is severely at risk of complete drying, has reached its lowest recorded level in the past 60 years. On the other hand, repeated warnings about the danger of suffocating dust storms that have become commonplace.
Like many parts of the world, Iran is facing the consequences of climate change. However, these changes are only part of the problem in a country that is also grappling with numerous other challenges.
The water crisis in Iran has brought the country into a critical phase due to mismanagement of local resources, rapid population growth, improper spatial distribution, and the consequences of long-term drought.
The water shortage and Tehran’s failure to address this problem have manifested themselves in various forms repeatedly. In response to this crisis, the Iranian regime has resorted to building large dams while simultaneously accelerating water-intensive irrigation projects, leading to the drying up of rivers and underground resources.
On the other hand, confrontations with neighboring countries and anti-government protests in affected areas of the water crisis have begun, and desertification, increased dust and sandstorms have made many Iranian cities among the most polluted cities in the world.
Simultaneously, the loss of agricultural lands has also damaged agricultural production and put people’s livelihoods at risk. Ultimately, this situation leads to a wave of internal migration from rural areas to urban areas, which in turn can bring a host of related problems.
Over time, these migration patterns can increase pressure on urban areas and put infrastructure and natural resources under strain, creating socio-economic challenges.
